Knowing When It's Time To Move On

I've been trying to master sewing lately and I enjoy it, most of the time.  I get easily frustrated when the thread or needle breaks then I have to take time to fix it.  Part of the reason is that I have so little time I can devote to it but I wonder if I'm just forcing myself to love it, is it truly my dream job?  During college, I did enjoy it for the most part but didn't quite have the patience for it.  I figured it was just because I was new at it and didn't know exactly what I was doing.  Now is it because I don't have time for it or maybe I just don't love it.  I really love the creative process of sewing but I don't know if I love it and can devote all my time to it.  I'm not saying I'm giving up on it completely, I would still love to master sewing so that I can do little repair jobs or hemming at home.  It would be so easy for someone to tell me to give it up but when will I truly know it's time to move on and find what I am destined for.

Rethinking Goals

Earlier this month I came up with a list of goals that I would like to accomplish and I've found that I've slacked on really getting them going.  So I've decided that I need to readjust my goals and instead of giving myself a time line.  A few things, such as writing a business plan and growing my blog, will have a time line but adjustments may be needed along the way.   The goals I set was just so that I could physically see what I wanted to accomplish and how I would go about it.  It's been difficult to stick with the plan since I still have a full time job and I try to spend as much time with my husband and son that I can.  What I need to do also is to have a schedule and stick to it as best as I can. 

Hemmed My First Pair of Pants!

Since I've gotten my sewing machine working, I decided to finally hem one of my hubby's pair of slacks.  I found an article in Woman's Daily that gave really great tips on hemming pants.  I had it all sort of figured out in my head but this article really helped.  I had already had the correct length because I had measured my hubby awhile back and had used safety pins to keep it in place.  But I still needed to shorten it in length because I had not cut it to size.  I measured 2 inches to leave a little bit of room for the stitching.  I may need to go back and resew it again because I used a 1 inch seam allowance from the bottom of the pants, which now that I think about it is a bit too long but not too bad for my first sewing venture!  I don't have any pictures because it was a fairly quick process.  I started working on a jeans bag but I broke the needle and will need to put in a new needle in order to continue.  But it's a learning process and I felt really good and excited while sewing!

Scentsy No More

Although I loved the products and wanted to do well with Scentsy, I just came to a decision that it just wasn't for me.  Another factor was money, I wasn't able to put into it what I needed to and still support our personal needs and my dreams.  I had hoped it would be a great way to make a little extra money.  I wasn't a 100% into and didn't have the drive to really push it.  Now I need to focus more on what I truly want to do and through my blog writing and research I truly believe I will accomplish that.

Logo Design Draft

As part of my July challenge, I am creating a logo to represent my company.  I've gone through many designs and ideas in the past few weeks, I actually starting coming up with logo ideas awhile before I decided on trying to challenge myself.  I felt that the butterfly alone was just too plain by itself and that it needed a little bit more.  I became inspired by the logo of the Cupcake Girls on WE tv.  Their logo has a delicious cupcake on the inside of a cirlce with a pink background.  The color scheme they have chosen also flows into the other aspects of their business, giving it an even theme.  I saw this and I knew this is what my logo needed.  One of my original ideas was to have four leaves in the background of the butterfly.  But after much thought, it just wasn't right, it seemed to overwhelm the design and that's not what I was going for.


My next step is color choices, I want colors that will stand out but not overwhelm the design.  So far, purple and lime green with black borders comes to mind.  I want the logo to be recognized even without the business name. Over the next several days I will experiment with the colors I have chosen and see if I need to change my choices.

Journey to Success: Goal Setting

Lately I've been trying to think of how I will be able to accomplish my goal of being an independent business owner and perhaps owning an online boutique.  I made lists of all the things I enjoy which I am still working on because I like a variety of things.  I'm listing everything from favorite foods to my favorite shows to narrow down what my interests are.  I spent many years doing other things and I've forgotten about the things I enjoy most. 

I realized I need to come up with goals that will get me to where I want to be and how to accomplish them.   This will also help me to remain focus and to develop my business. 

MY GOALS:
1) Design Logo
2) Write Business Plan
3) Practice Sewing
4) Work on Upcycling Projects of old clothes into something useful
5) Product & Service Development
6) Grow Blog
7) Market Research
8) Look into writing E-books on specific topics
9) Useful products,ideas, information to share on blog, post upcycling projects I find

#1 Design Logo
I've already started on gathering and designing ides of what I want my company logo to be.  At first, I wanted a picture of a baby but I didn't want it to be one thing specific because I was still unsure of where I wanted to go with my business.  Then, as some of you may know, I decided to go with butterflies.  My next task was to find the right image that would respresent my company.  At first, I was a bit impulsive but I took it down a notch after realizing I need to take my time because this image will forever represent Minoaka Bebe Designs.

#2 Write a Business Plan
I've previously began a business plan for other ideas I have and I will be able to adapt them to my current idea.  A business plan is a great blue print to see where you are, where you need to be, and where you are going.  This will bring more structure to my business as well as guide me along the way.

#3 Practice Sewing
When I attended UH Maui, I had taken an intermediate level class of sewing, which sad to say I didn't pass but I learned a lot about sewing and the basics.  I will hem clothes that need hemming, make bags, baby things, and try a few upcycling projects that I find online or on other blogs (giving proper credit of course), and whatever else comes to mind!

#4 Work on Upcycling Projects of old clothes into something useful
Try various upcycling projects of my own, as well as those I find online or on other blogs because I've seen so many wonderful projects from other bloggers.  This is where #3 & #4 will coincide with one another.  I will also post my projects on my blog and sharing my progress with others.  This will be an ongoing project, I will try to accomplish on a weekly or at least twice monthly basis.

So far these are a few of the goals I have come up with but I'm sure there will be corrections, additions, deletions as I grow my business.  I've been inspired a lot by Jill at Creating My Way to Success, Cupcake girls on WE tv, and Paul Jr. of American Chopper.  So for July I am going to tackle the first 4 goals since #3 & #4 tie into eachother.  Also, I finally got my sewing machine threaded and ready to go after only a year of owning it so now I will be able to hem clothing and do a few upcycling projects!  I've also made a schedule for myself and will try my best to stick to it but as it is in life, things change.